WPI selects finance professor as interim business school dean

Photo I Courtesy of Worcester Polytechnic Institute Kwamie Dunbar, interim dean of The Business School at Worcester Polytechnic Institute

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By Mica Kanner-Mascolo

One month after the dean of Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s business school stepped down, the university has named Kwamie Dunbar as interim dean.

Dunbar assumed his role at The Business School on July 1, stepping in from his previous role as professor of finance at WPI. Having joined the university in 2022, Dunbar launched WPI’s undergraduate and graduate financial technology programs, according to a Wednesday press release.

Outside of his professorial responsibilities, Dunbar is an active member in WPI’s community and outside professional organizations. At WPI, he’s a member of several faculty search committees, contributes to graduate and undergraduate policy and curriculum, and serves as advisor for student projects with corporate sponsors. He’s published more than 20 peer-reviewed papers and presented at just as many financial technology and economic conferences.

In the spring, Dunbar was a recipient of the university’s 2025 Provost's Major Qualifying Projects Award.

Dunbar succeeds Debora Jackson, who left the dean role on May 31 after a four-year tenure. Jackson was the first woman and person of color to lead The Business School and was named one of WBJ’s most influential professionals in Central Massachusetts in the Power 50 in 2021 and 2023.

Prior to joining WPI, Dunbar served as an associate professor of finance at Simmons University in Boston and as associate dean at Sacred Heart University’s Jack Welch College of Business & Technology in Connecticut. He spent nearly 10 years in the financial industry working for companies including the Connecticut-based GE Asset Management and New York-based Mastercard.

Dunbar earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from The University of the West Indies in Jamaica, a master’s degree in economics and finance from Sacred Heart University, a master’s degree in applied mathematics from Fairfield University in Connecticut, and his PhD in financial economics from Fordham University in New York.

WPI is planning a search for Jackson’s permanent replacement.

Mica Kanner-Mascolo is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the healthcare and diversity, equity, and inclusion industries.